Unbound - The Wild Ride
Chapter 7
Kat was nearly gone from the shop for an hour when she returned. A mixture of relief and disappointment flushed over her when she realized that Matt wasn't still there. She resumed her seat behind the front desk without speaking a word, when suddenly she felt her cell phone vibrate against her leg. She pulled it from her pocket and saw that she had a text message from her friend Anna.
"Here's a pic from the bar last night. It was a blast! Check it out. Luv, Anna"
"WILL THIS JUST GO AWAY?!?!" Kat's brain screamed. As the picture loaded, her heart fluttered. Her mind began to replay the night before...the way he was so easy to talk to, the way he stared deeply in her eyes, seeming to hang on to every word she spoke. She fidgeted with her phone between her fingers...before she could give it a second thought, she was forwarding the picture to Matt's cell phone.
_________________________________
Matt, Brian, Zacky, Rev and Johnny were at a tiny diner a few blocks away from the tattoo shop eating lunch when Matt's cell phone beeped with a new message. He figured it was probably Val checking up on him again, but when he flipped it open he almost dropped it onto his plate when he read "1 new message from Kat".
There was no text, just a picture...
He began to grin from ear to ear. She was so gorgeous...and so fun to be with. It made his heart ache. He nudged Brian's side with his elbow as he held the phone so Brian could see. His face was still glowing.
Brian shook his head and returned the smile to Matt. "Go with your heart bro," he said quietly.
Matt studied the picture a little longer before texting a reply to her....
"Meet me tonight at H&H's?" Kat read the message and began to smile.
Her fingers nimbly pressed the keys in reply, "8 PM, don't be late...or I might not give you another chance. :)" She included another picture in her message...
Matt laughed at her spunk. It became obvious to him that she was very intent on protecting herself and for some reason she had decided to drop her wall to him. He didn't know why and he didn't want to analyze it. All he knew is that tonight was his last shot before going back to HB. He had to play his cards right or all would be lost.
__________________________________
"Kim, he's not going to fire me," Kat talked into her cell phone as she applied the last touches of her eye makeup. "I'm the best girl at Max's and even if I do get fired, would that be such a bad thing?"
"I know you hate working there, but how the fuck will you pay your bills without that two grand a night income? Shit, I almost want to come work at Max's just to get that kind of money!" Kim laughed.
"I'll just call him before I leave and tell him I'm sick and can't make it in tonight," Kat glanced at the clock. "Shit, I gotta go! It's ten til eight..."
"Call me later and let me know how it went."
"I will!" Kat squealed happily.
She looked over her shoulder at the bar across the street as she locked her apartment door. She tried with all her might to not let herself get too excited. Her philosophy had always been to expect the worst and hope for the best, it was almost a defense mechanism.
"Relax, relax," she told herself as she cautiously jogged across the street. She was greeted by the regulars as she entered the bar, she was all smiles. Her eyes sparked when she saw Matt and his friends playing pool near the front door. He had actually come...and he was even early. Maybe his intentions were true...
"Kat!" Matt sat his beer down on the edge of the pool table, coming to her for a hug.
"Just don't expect a repeat of last night," she playfully jabbed at his stomach with her finger. "Let's just play this by ear, OK?"
"Of course," he grinned at her. "Guys," he announced, "this is Kat. Kat, that's Brian, Zacky, Rev and Johnny," he pointed to each of his friends respectively.
"Hey!" they all said warmly in unison as she waved shyly.
"Let me get you a drink," Matt offered. "Kick Brian's ass for me while I'm gone," he said as he handed her his pool stick.
"Hopefully she's better than you are," Brian laughed.
"Shut the fuck up!" Matt laughed back as he turned to head towards the bar.
"Stripes or solids?" Kat asked.
"Solids," Brian continued to chuckle.
"Of course," Kat laughed. "The most balls on the table..."
Matt returned with a pilsner of beer as Kat sank a ball in the corner pocket with ease. "Oh shit," he held the beer up to her. "Take that Brian," he teased.
Brian began to laugh, "I think I need a shot!"
Kat laughed and took a drink of her beer before sinking another three balls in succession. "Uh oh Syn," she warned. "Two balls left for you...8 ball, right corner pocket," she called the shot, bending over the table to assess her game plan.
"A hundred bucks says she sinks it," Rev threw a crisp $100 bill on the table.
"I'll take that one too," Zacky laughed and tossed a crumpled $100 bill on the table.
"Shit, I'm not touching that bet," Brian shook his head, his friends began to laugh heartily at him.
"Come on pussy," Johnny taunted. "Grow some fucking balls!"
"Fuck you dude," Brian joked.
"Sssshhhh," Matt quieted them. "Let her take the damn shot!"
The guys quieted down and stood back to watch...
Kat ran the stick through her thumb and index finger a few times before cracking the cue ball with brute force. Time slowed down as they watched it hit the 8-ball with precision...the ball sank hard into the right corner pocket, just as she had predicted.
As he watched the ball go in, Brian threw his pool stick on the floor in defeat, his arms raising in the air only to rest on top of his head. "She killed it!" he shouted.
Matt bent over in laughter, everyone else joining in.
"I can do a lot more than dance," Kat sipped her beer with a grin.
Matt's arms wrapped tightly around her waist from behind, gently kissing her ear. "I don't know what changed your mind about me, but I'm glad you did..." he whispered gently.
‹ Chapter 6
"Here's a pic from the bar last night. It was a blast! Check it out. Luv, Anna"
"WILL THIS JUST GO AWAY?!?!" Kat's brain screamed. As the picture loaded, her heart fluttered. Her mind began to replay the night before...the way he was so easy to talk to, the way he stared deeply in her eyes, seeming to hang on to every word she spoke. She fidgeted with her phone between her fingers...before she could give it a second thought, she was forwarding the picture to Matt's cell phone.
_________________________________
Matt, Brian, Zacky, Rev and Johnny were at a tiny diner a few blocks away from the tattoo shop eating lunch when Matt's cell phone beeped with a new message. He figured it was probably Val checking up on him again, but when he flipped it open he almost dropped it onto his plate when he read "1 new message from Kat".
There was no text, just a picture...
He began to grin from ear to ear. She was so gorgeous...and so fun to be with. It made his heart ache. He nudged Brian's side with his elbow as he held the phone so Brian could see. His face was still glowing.
Brian shook his head and returned the smile to Matt. "Go with your heart bro," he said quietly.
Matt studied the picture a little longer before texting a reply to her....
"Meet me tonight at H&H's?" Kat read the message and began to smile.
Her fingers nimbly pressed the keys in reply, "8 PM, don't be late...or I might not give you another chance. :)" She included another picture in her message...
Matt laughed at her spunk. It became obvious to him that she was very intent on protecting herself and for some reason she had decided to drop her wall to him. He didn't know why and he didn't want to analyze it. All he knew is that tonight was his last shot before going back to HB. He had to play his cards right or all would be lost.
__________________________________
"Kim, he's not going to fire me," Kat talked into her cell phone as she applied the last touches of her eye makeup. "I'm the best girl at Max's and even if I do get fired, would that be such a bad thing?"
"I know you hate working there, but how the fuck will you pay your bills without that two grand a night income? Shit, I almost want to come work at Max's just to get that kind of money!" Kim laughed.
"I'll just call him before I leave and tell him I'm sick and can't make it in tonight," Kat glanced at the clock. "Shit, I gotta go! It's ten til eight..."
"Call me later and let me know how it went."
"I will!" Kat squealed happily.
She looked over her shoulder at the bar across the street as she locked her apartment door. She tried with all her might to not let herself get too excited. Her philosophy had always been to expect the worst and hope for the best, it was almost a defense mechanism.
"Relax, relax," she told herself as she cautiously jogged across the street. She was greeted by the regulars as she entered the bar, she was all smiles. Her eyes sparked when she saw Matt and his friends playing pool near the front door. He had actually come...and he was even early. Maybe his intentions were true...
"Kat!" Matt sat his beer down on the edge of the pool table, coming to her for a hug.
"Just don't expect a repeat of last night," she playfully jabbed at his stomach with her finger. "Let's just play this by ear, OK?"
"Of course," he grinned at her. "Guys," he announced, "this is Kat. Kat, that's Brian, Zacky, Rev and Johnny," he pointed to each of his friends respectively.
"Hey!" they all said warmly in unison as she waved shyly.
"Let me get you a drink," Matt offered. "Kick Brian's ass for me while I'm gone," he said as he handed her his pool stick.
"Hopefully she's better than you are," Brian laughed.
"Shut the fuck up!" Matt laughed back as he turned to head towards the bar.
"Stripes or solids?" Kat asked.
"Solids," Brian continued to chuckle.
"Of course," Kat laughed. "The most balls on the table..."
Matt returned with a pilsner of beer as Kat sank a ball in the corner pocket with ease. "Oh shit," he held the beer up to her. "Take that Brian," he teased.
Brian began to laugh, "I think I need a shot!"
Kat laughed and took a drink of her beer before sinking another three balls in succession. "Uh oh Syn," she warned. "Two balls left for you...8 ball, right corner pocket," she called the shot, bending over the table to assess her game plan.
"A hundred bucks says she sinks it," Rev threw a crisp $100 bill on the table.
"I'll take that one too," Zacky laughed and tossed a crumpled $100 bill on the table.
"Shit, I'm not touching that bet," Brian shook his head, his friends began to laugh heartily at him.
"Come on pussy," Johnny taunted. "Grow some fucking balls!"
"Fuck you dude," Brian joked.
"Sssshhhh," Matt quieted them. "Let her take the damn shot!"
The guys quieted down and stood back to watch...
Kat ran the stick through her thumb and index finger a few times before cracking the cue ball with brute force. Time slowed down as they watched it hit the 8-ball with precision...the ball sank hard into the right corner pocket, just as she had predicted.
As he watched the ball go in, Brian threw his pool stick on the floor in defeat, his arms raising in the air only to rest on top of his head. "She killed it!" he shouted.
Matt bent over in laughter, everyone else joining in.
"I can do a lot more than dance," Kat sipped her beer with a grin.
Matt's arms wrapped tightly around her waist from behind, gently kissing her ear. "I don't know what changed your mind about me, but I'm glad you did..." he whispered gently.
‹ Chapter 6
4/26/13